Book Review: Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins

Title: Hex Hall
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Pub Date: March 2nd, 2010
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Page Count: 323

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.
By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire student on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.
As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

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Most of the time an opinion towards a book is clear; you like or or you don't like it. However, there's that grey section in between where the mixed feelings come in. This is exactly how I felt about Hex Hall and trying to express this opinion when I don't even know what it is, is hard.

Hex Hall was, in one word, a mess. Don't confuse mess with I hated it because that isn't the case. I felt as though it just didn't live up to its full potential. I heard so many rave reviews for this book so I was very surprised and quite disappointed at my actual opinions. No matter how hard I tried to like it (and believe me, I tried), I just couldn't get over the parts that bugged me.

Now, the author's prose is what I know makes her so popular now. Her writing is reminiscent to Kiersten White in small ways because of the dry humor. This author also has more of a "get to the point" description style than a flowing, artistic one and that's completely fine. Its just the way that its too the point that reflects the character; that was a nice touch. Its a captivating style but with all these cons, it gets completely hidden under.

But the characters? OUCH. I couldn't relate to any of these characters; they were just too flat. There was close to no development in any and I (as the reader) didn't even stand a chance to liking them. Our main character is just so two-dimensional. She was a good person, yet pulled unapologetic pranks. Had a crush on a guy but refused to tell him. Knew something was suspicious but didn't care to find out what. It wasn't even a personality. It was a cauldron of typical characters all channeled into one and no, it did not work.

Please don't get me started on the other characters. These characters (and parts of plot) almost made this novel quite disastrous. Characters like Archer, Elodie, Holly, Jenna and Anna are undeveloped to the extreme. They're kind of just... there. There isn't anything interesting about them and they're a stranger in their own story. Plus, again, they have no personalities that stood out and therefore didn't make me feel... anything.

The plot itself was good and by that, I mean book jacket plot. The idea seemed cool at first but I realized that what actually happened was not the same as the book jacket. For one, the synopsis talks about the minor parts that are interesting. The actual plot is minored and flattened to the  dramatic crap that I had to sit through. Okay, its a reform school, everyone's angry they're there now can we just shut up and stop all this drama? It wasn't necessary and just slowed it down. We didn't need (multiple) scenes of tension between the Shifters and Faeries. We also didn't need the unbearably cliche mean girl group.
That being a gateway to the next section!

This book had cliches that made me want to run through a brick wall. So having a mean girl clique is totally original right? How about a super hot, cocky guy that MC is totally crushing on? And some girl that MC's best friends with but is also a target for mean girl clique?
I rest my case.

And after this entire review that would probably convince you that I hate this book, I still had mixed feelings. A part of me was entertained by this mess. I liked it and I don't know why. Perhaps it was because of the potential that I see or because of the dry humor used? That same part of me wants to read the second book just to figure out what happens, but the logical sense in me knows that if Rachel's writing is anything like Hex Hall, today, it isn't something I'd want to spend my time on.

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achel Hawkins was born in Virginia and raised in Alabama. This means she uses words like "y'all" and "fixin'" a lot, and considers anything under 60 degrees to be borderline Arctic. Before deciding to write books about kissing and fire (and sometimes kissing while on fire), Rachel taught high school English for 3 years, and is still capable of teaching you The Canterbury Tales if you're into that kind of thing.

She is married to a geologist, which means that they have incredibly strange dinner conversations ("So today at work, I wrote a chapter where killer fog, like, ATE PEOPLE." "Huh. Well, I was chased by an angry reindeer while trying to map parts of Norway." "Um...okay.")

Rachel also has a little boy whose main hobbies are playing video games, running around in circles, and plotting his Future Intergalactic Take-Over.

When not writing books, Rachel enjoys reading, travelling, and knitting (very terribly.)

Here are her books. She would really appreciate it if you read them. :)